South Korean police are mulling deployment vehicles equipped with decibel meters at protests in order to determine whether or not the rallies exceed the legally permitted noise level, local media reported Friday. According to local newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the National Police Agency's plan is to convert one of its trucks to fit a noise-measuring device to be used at protests this year, and to acquire another one of these vehicles by next year. The NPA is currently requesting an extra budget t

An appellate court on Friday ordered prosecutors to obtain a psychological test for a defendant accused of committing animal cruelty, in order to consider the appropriate sentence. The Daejeon District Court stated, “While there already exists a series of tests for sexual crimes, there are none for animal cruelty.” “The prosecutors should submit the results of a psychological test to evaluate the possibility of repetition of the crime,” the court added. In response, the p

A drunk driver was caught after he drove into a police station during his attempt to evade arrest. Incheon Police shared on Thursday a video showing a drunk driver in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, on March 25, saying they were investigating the driver in his 20s for breaching traffic rules and obstructing justice. The footage shows an SUV driving away from police in a business area after being ordered to stop by police investigating a report of suspected drunk driving. While police tried to block the fug

Organizers of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival said late Thursday that they are still looking for places in Seoul to hold this year’s event, after the Seoul city government refused its initial request to use its usual venue, Seoul Plaza at City Hall. The organizing committee said that it submitted applications with the Seoul Police Station, Seoul Namdaemun Police Station and Jongno Police Station in Seoul to hold the 17-day annual festival for the LGBT community from July 1 in the nation&r

23-year-old suspect: 'I was out of my mind'

A police officer was arrested and charged with nonconsensual video recording during sex of partners he had met through a dating app. The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office said Friday that it had indicted the officer at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police for breaching the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Sexual Crimes and for tampering with evidence. The police officer, whose identity has been withheld, is accused of filming 26 women without consent during sex using his

South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup left for Singapore on Friday to attend an annual security forum, where North Korea's evolving military threats, the war in Ukraine and an intensifying Sino-US rivalry are expected to feature prominently. The three-day Shangri-La Dialogue is set to kick off in the city-state later in the day, bringing together senior security officials from more than 40 countries, including the United States, China, Britain, Australia and Japan, according to S

South Korea's new coronavirus cases fell below 20,000 on Friday as almost all pandemic-related restrictions were lifted this month. The country reported 19,724 new infections, including 33 imported cases, bringing the total caseload to 31,747,839, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said. Daily infections remained below 20,000 for the six days through Tuesday but rose above 20,000 on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday's tally is higher than the 17,933 cases a week earlier and t

Public scrutiny limits cops’ use of force against suspects, but violence against officers rarely receives severe punishment, police say

A major children's hospital in Seoul said Thursday it has decided to suspend most of its weekend operations starting this month due to a shortage of pediatricians, reflecting the country's dire population crisis. Sowha Hospital announced a temporary suspension of its weekend and holiday operations, except for Saturday mornings, citing "a shortage of medical staff" and the need for "facility maintenance." However, no specific date has been provided for the resumption

A local Hangeul foundation is hosting an online contest for foreigners to transcribe their native language in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, this summer. The contest, dubbed "Hangeul Festa 2023," hosted by Hangeul Nuri Foundation, requires its applicants to submit videos of the following descriptions from June 1 to Aug. 31 via its official website (https://www.hangeul-festa.org/en/). The contest will be held in three categories: transcribing in Hangeul the lyrics to a song; transcribing

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency on Thursday revealed the identity of a 23-year-old woman held on suspicion of murdering and dismembering the body of another woman in her 20s. Police said they decided to make the suspect’s identity public after convening a committee to contemplate the disclosure. According to police, the suspect is 23-year-old Jeong Yu-jeong. South Korean law allows police to reveal the identity of a suspect only under certain conditions, where the crime is considered

A teenage hacker and an operator of a Telegram chatroom in his 20s were arrested on the charge of leaking scores of 270,000 high school sophomores of a mock scholastic ability test held nationwide in November last year, the police said Thursday. The 19-year-old has allegedly broke into the Gyeonggi Office of Education‘s server on Feb. 18 and stole the mock test results of high school sophomores, according to Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency. The teenager gave the data to the Telegra

Seven out of 10 South Koreans residing in the greater Seoul area expressed their opposition to Japan's move to discharge radioactive wastewater from the now-defunct Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean, local broadcaster CBS reported on Thursday, citing a survey. In the poll of 1,000 people aged 18 or above conducted by polling organization Jowon C&I May 27-29, 70.8 percent of respondents said they are against Tokyo's plan to release the destroyed nuclear plant's w

South Korea will build more industrial clusters to nurture innovative firms in high-end industries such as chips and biotechnology by lifting regulations and forging more partnerships with foreign businesses, the government said Thursday. The plan also aims to attract participation from municipalities in cluster projects, as well as in ventures and startups, to enhance South Korea's industrial competitiveness. Legal and accounting consulting services will also be provided to such businesses